Arturia CS-80V

Launched in 1977, Yamaha's CS-80 synth was a heavyweight in every conceivable way, and has since taken on classic status.

Arturia's emulation is now more than a decade old, so could almost be seen as a vintage software instrument, but with the company's TAE (True Analogue Emulation) technology at its core, the CS-80V remains a hugely popular plugin.

That, quite simply, is down to the fact that it does such a great job of emulating Yamaha's beast, nailing not only the sound of the oscillators, but also its signature ring modulator and pretty much every other aspect of its analogue tone. Sure, there are other synths out there that can produce similar results, but if you want to feel like you're playing and programming a slice of history, the CS-80V still has plenty to recommend about it.